Water droplets splashed onto Bai Ying’s clothes, sticking to her skin, bringing a chill. Her eyelashes trembled, and she asked subconsciously, “About where?”

Jiang Mocheng’s hot breath sprayed on her ear, his voice low and hoarse, with a dominance that he no longer intended to hide, he replied, “The Shen family.”

Where else could it be.

Of course, it had to do with people and things related to Shen Jin, all of which he had forgotten.

A hint of melancholy appeared on Bai Ying’s face, as if she had fallen into some memory, neither good nor bad.

This expression, in Jiang Mocheng’s view, was very annoying. He simply made her turn around, face to face, their gazes fully exposed to each other.

He forced her to look at him, “Is it difficult?”

“It’s not.”

She lowered her head, looking at the part of her dress soaked by water, getting deeper, “I just don’t quite understand what you mean.”

“You’ll understand.”

He said, “It’s all in the past, don’t think about it anymore.”

He embraced her, kissing the top of her head. She leaned obediently against his chest, unable to see his gradually deepening gaze, only hearing him say lightly.

“Just this once, I can tell you, you don’t have to worry about anything. I said I would solve it, and I will definitely solve it. Those people, those things, they have nothing to do with you. Don’t trouble yourself, understand?”

“But…”

“There are no buts.”

He said, “Just stay by my side, I won’t neglect you.”

This was his promise.

He was telling her clearly, whatever Shen Jin, whatever trouble, he didn’t care at all. But one thing, she must forget the past with Shen Jin completely, never to think of such a person again in this lifetime.

This was something she had to do.

She couldn’t stay by his side while still occasionally thinking of the past.

This was something he couldn’t tolerate.

After a long silence, so long that he almost forced her to agree, Bai Ying finally nodded lightly, “Okay.”

Jiang Mocheng, hearing her answer, rubbed his chin against her contentedly, stroking her smooth black hair, one stroke at a time.

That night, he stayed very late, with a hint of obsession. Whenever Bai Ying touched him, he reacted with feeling like he hadn’t seen a woman in eight lifetimes.

In the midst of her busy thoughts, she thought about that dream. The dream didn’t focus much on Jiang Mocheng, the opponent. It seemed as if the author had forgotten such a character, turning him into a background board, an extra. But one thing was certain, since he wasn’t mentioned in the text, it meant he was still living well.

Living richly.

Bai Ying was very dissatisfied with this, very upset. The fingers on his head tightened, grabbing his already very short hair, pulling hard.

Damn it.

Why should such a man, who had hooked up with the protagonist’s girlfriend, get away with everything!

She wouldn’t accept it!

Jiang Mocheng calmly left another mark on her skin, then frowned at her, caught her hand, and pressed it on top of her head, both hands sinking into the pillow.

“Don’t get distracted,” he said in a hoarse voice.

…

The next day.

Jiang Mocheng had to deal with official matters, and naturally, he didn’t want Bai Ying to leave the hotel. However, he didn’t say much, only instructing the bodyguard to follow her closely.

Bai Ying didn’t go to the stock exchange; she could get a general idea of the situation from the newspapers. The stock she had followed indeed plummeted before receiving good news, which left her with mixed feelings. She was happy about the prospect of making a big profit but also frustrated that it confirmed her dream was true.

She deliberately avoided meal times and went to the café, only to run into Song Yunzhu unexpectedly. Logically, Song Yunzhu shouldn’t have been there at that time. Seeing Bai Ying’s puzzled look, Song Yunzhu proactively explained with a smile, “A colleague called in sick, so I came over to cover her shift.”

“I see.”

Bai Ying nodded, returned the umbrella to her, and thanked her again.

Since they had met unavoidably, Bai Ying didn’t mind chatting for a while. She casually asked, “Are you working part-time here?”

Song Yunzhu nodded, “You could say that. I run between several places.”

At this point, she laughed at herself, “I used to be so annoyed about having to learn the piano all the time, but now it’s become a way to make a living.”

She didn’t have a full-time job, a decision made after careful consideration.

With her qualifications, finding an office job wouldn’t be difficult, but the salary would be average, and the hours limited. It was better to work a bit harder, run around more, and if she could secure a few café gigs to play the piano, she would earn more than the average office worker each month.

Bai Ying looked at her delicate face, unable to respond to her words.

Because she wasn’t Song Yunzhu. However, from her perspective, she actually envied Song Yunzhu. After all, she now had no ties to Shen Jin. Debts… debts would be paid off one day, and at least there would be peaceful days to live. What are love and wealth compared to life itself?

But Song Yunzhu might not think the same way.

How many people could calmly accept going from a wealthy lady to someone who needs to work frequently to pay off debts overnight?

There’s no need to compare who’s more miserable between her and Song Yunzhu; it sounds like a cruel joke.

Seeing Bai Ying hesitate to speak, Song Yunzhu chuckled, “You must have heard about my family’s situation from Mr. Jiang…”

She took a deep breath, “Actually, it’s okay. I’ve gotten used to it.”

Bai Ying was taken aback, “Mr. Jiang?”

She suddenly realized that Song Yunzhu had been very active in the Jincheng social circles, so it wasn’t surprising that she had met Jiang Mocheng.

Bai Ying’s mind worked quickly, and she suddenly realized that this was a great opportunity, a pillow delivered to her door.

But glancing down and seeing Song Yunzhu’s whitewashed shoes, she almost immediately made a decision within a few seconds, abruptly interrupting Song Yunzhu with a forced smile, “I just remembered I have something to do, I have to go, let’s talk next time!”

Song Yunzhu was slightly stunned, though somewhat puzzled, she still nodded with a smile, “Okay, goodbye.”

The moment Bai Ying walked out of the café, she regretted it.

She didn’t understand where her sudden excess of kindness came from.

Clearly, it would have been better to continue the conversation with Song Yunzhu and learn about Jiang Mocheng’s identity that way. She could have naturally contacted Shen Jin. Look, even though she had gone with Jiang Mocheng, her first reaction upon realizing he might be scheming against Shen Jin, or even cause trouble, was to tell Shen Jin everything—doesn’t that prove that even though she was with Jiang Mocheng, her heart was still with him? Such affection is truly touching.

Bai Ying was annoyed with herself for her sudden act of kindness.

Song Yunzhu was not close to her, nor was she anyone significant to Bai Ying. Even if she got involved again, what did it have to do with Bai Ying?

It was false kindness, misguided good intentions, hypocrisy!

Bai Ying reluctantly looked back. Having already left, it wouldn’t be appropriate to return, so she irritably hailed a taxi. When the driver asked where she wanted to go, she couldn’t be bothered to return to the hotel and gave a random address, looking out the window with a sour expression.

…

Bai Ying was convinced she hadn’t checked the horoscope before leaving the house that day, as nothing seemed to go right. Who could have imagined that one second she was sitting fine in the taxi, and the next, the driver dozed off and failed to see someone rushing out at the intersection.

It was too late to brake, and she was thrown against the passenger seat’s backrest. The car also hit a pedestrian, who fell to the ground, crying out in pain while demanding compensation from the driver.

The driver, furious, jumped out and cursed, accusing the pedestrian of extortion. Neither was willing to let go, and both insisted on keeping her there as a witness. After a fruitless struggle, she was so annoyed by the noise that she decisively called the police and, for the first time in her life, entered a police station to give a statement.

When a young officer asked her to call her family to pick her up, she instinctively reached into her purse for her phone to call Jiang Mocheng. The thin daylight streamed in through the window, and she had a sudden realization as she stared blankly at the young but earnest-looking officer.

It was like finding a path through a mountainous maze, a village after a dark forest.

She put down her bag and smiled, “Okay.”

Using the police station’s landline, she dialed Shen Jin’s number and hung up after just one ring.

Jiang Mocheng was already on his way to the police station when he received Bai Ying’s call.

The bodyguard had been following Bai Ying and contacted Jiang Mocheng immediately, awaiting his orders.

It was a traffic accident, and of course, it didn’t have much to do with the passengers in the car. Jiang Mocheng hurried over, and Bai Ying had completed her statement and was ready to leave at any time.

Bai Ying sat to one side, but her gaze kept drifting unintentionally to the office phone on the desk.

With each ring, her heartbeat quickened.

Jiang Mocheng strode in, scanning the room sharply, and quickly spotted Bai Ying sitting in the corner, seemingly still in shock with a pale face. He let out an almost imperceptible sigh of relief.

“Are you okay?”

He walked up to her quickly, crouching down, and asked in a low voice, frowning.

While asking, he enveloped her hand resting on her lap with his palm, conveying an undeniable warmth and firmness.

Bai Ying met his anxious gaze, her eyes on him, but her ears and heart were already with the landline. Her look was somewhat dazed, making her appear especially pitiable and fragile.

She really was frightened.

Jiang Mocheng remembered where they were and didn’t embrace her as usual, but instead held her hand tightly, a gesture of comfort.

“Don’t be afraid, it’s over now.”

Bai Ying nodded blankly, “Mhm.”

…

Still not entirely at ease, Jiang Mocheng left the police station and, without discussion, took her to the nearest hospital.

An hour after they left, the phone at the station rang urgently.